Hot Chocolate With a Cop
by Balin Lord of Moria
Summary: Rookie cop Jake Ryan meets a mother and her little son and learns from them about how much they love and admire what the police like him do for their city and country.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Blue Force_; Jim Walls designed it and Tsunami Media Inc. owns it.

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**Hot Chocolate With a Cop**

It was early in the day at Jackson Beach. Officer Jake Ryan had been patrolling the city for several hours on his police motorcycle. So far, he had written five tickets, two for parking, two for speeding, and one for running a red light. The young woman who ran the red light had been quite defiant and abusive, but Jake kept his cool and insisted that she take the ticket. He had also pulled over a man for driving while under the influence, and called a patrol car to take him to jail. The man was rather comical for a drunk driver; he imitated the take-off of a Mute Swan while performing the Field Sobriety Test. Finally, he had to give another ticket to a jaywalker, who was also very fussy about what the "fuzz" did every day to innocent people.

Now, Jake had decided to go to a place where they sold coffee and donuts in order to take a short break. He chose a Dunkin' Donuts joint a little north of the Jackson Beach Police Department, where he parked his 'cycle and went inside.

At the counter, Jake ordered a hot chocolate to drink, and a chocolate-coated donut to go with it. He sat at one of the empty tables and ate and drank. The chocolate donut was very delicious, he thought, and the hot chocolate was just as effective at keeping him awake as coffee would any other cop.

Suddenly, a young woman, somewhere in her thirties, he estimated, walked over to his table upon noticing him sitting there. A boy of about nine or ten years of age was with her, possibly her son. "Excuse me, officer," asked the lady, "May we sit at your table with you? Just for a little bit? Have a hot chocolate with you?"

Surprised by the request, Jake replied, "Of course, ma'am. You can both sit here, if you'd like."

"Thank you, sir," she said, sitting on one chair while her son sat on another. She also had a hot chocolate and a donut, vanilla-coated, and her son had a mint hot chocolate and a powdered sugar donut. They joined him in eating and drinking their food. "I'm Angela, by the way, Angela Fremont, and this is my son, Abraham, though he likes to be called Abe. He's a real fan of police officers."

"Good to meet you, Angela," said Jake, "I'm Officer Jake Ryan, a rookie in the Jackson Beach Police Force."

"You're a real cop?" asked Abe.

Jake smiled politely. "That's right, Abe. I still have a long ways to go before I'll be regarded as a veteran of the force, but I've had a lot of practice, and I've managed to bring down some dangerous criminals as well as handle more minor violations during patrol."

"That's so cool!" Abe said, "I want to be a cop when I grow up myself. They stop so many bad guys on the streets and make things a lot safer for the good people of America. They're also very tough, and I hear that the cops are always tougher than the crooks."

"I like that," said Jake, "At least, _most_ of the time police are tougher than their suspects. But still, Abe, police work isn't easy. There's a lot of stress and pain at the police academy, and even if you graduate, it's a hard life. However, if you're good and obedient in your vocation and hold up under the pressure, it can also be very rewarding."

"And that's what I want to do with my life," insisted Abe, munching on his donut and drinking his chocolate, "It's what I've dreamed of for so long, ever since I saw _Dragnet_. Police work is exciting."

"It can also be boring much of the time," warned Jake. "But it's good to hear that you have such enthusiasm for it, Abe. Of course, you usually lose your innocence after being a police officer for a few years or less, but it'll be replaced by a maturity, courage, and understanding many ordinary people can't possess. I say you should go ahead with your dream."

"Gee, thanks, Officer Ryan!" Abe said happily. "You don't know how much that means to me!" He took another sip of his mint hot chocolate and a bite of his donut.

"By now, I think you can at least guess why we came over to sit with you, Officer Ryan," said Angela.

Jake looked at her. "Well, I think it's because your son, Abe, wanted to meet me and talk about his love for being a cop."

"Yes, that's part of the reason," confirmed Angela, "But I also wanted to say something similar. I need to tell you that my whole family and I really appreciate what you police officers do for the innocent people of this city, and even for some of the less innocent."

Jake's eyes lit up. "You mean, you actually believe that what we do every day is worth something?"

"Yes, of course," Angela replied, "We know that the police have stresses and worries of their own, just like anybody else, as well as feelings that the more hateful citizens of America flatly ignore with every waking moment. I think people like that should read their Bibles more often, at least, if they have a Bible, because Romans 13 says that police are representatives and ministers of justice, and deserve to be treated with respect."

"That sounds very nice, Angela," said Jake, "Thanks."

She took a sip of her hot chocolate. "Well, my son and I thought it was the least we could do for an officer such as yourself. We wanted you to know that my family and I really care about the police, both officers and detectives."

"Well, thank you very much, ma'am," said Jake gratefully. He finished his chocolate and his donut. "Well, I'm sorry I can't stay longer, Angela, but I have to get back on duty. It was very nice, and very enlightening, meeting you and your son."

"It was a pleasure for me, too, Officer Ryan," said Angela.

"Goodbye, Jake," said Abe, using the officer's personal first name for some reason, "I hope you stop many more crooks while doing your job!"

"Thanks, Abe," said Jake, "And I hope your dream of becoming a cop comes true someday."

Walking out of Dunkin' Donuts and back to his motorcycle, Jake thought about what the young lady and her son had told him. _It's very good to know that there exist people who genuinely admire what we officers do with our time every day. I wonder how many more of them there are._

With the appreciative words of Angela and Abe echoing through his head, he ignited his motorcycle's engine and drove back out into traffic, resuming his beat.

**THE END**


End file.
